Donald Martin Cramer

Name: Donald Martin Cramer Rank/Branch: W2/US Army Unit: C Troop, 2nd Squadron, 17th Cavalry, 101st Airborne Division Date of Birth: 12 January 1946 (Columbus OH) Home City of Record: St. Louis MO Date of Loss: 05 January 1971 Country of Loss: South Vietnam/Over Water Loss Coordinates: 161657N 1073102E (ZD060160) Status (in 1973): Missing in Action Category: 3 Aircraft/Vehicle/Ground: AH1G Other Personnel in Incident: SP4 Ronnie Vago Rogers (killed, body recovered)

REMARKS:

SYNOPSIS: At 0210 hours on January 5, 1971, CW2 Donald M. Cramer, pilot of an AH1G (tail #67-16083), departed the Hue/Phu Bai Airfield on a training flight mission with SP4 Ronnie V. Rogers aboard. No contact was established after takeoff. When the aircraft failed to return within a reasonable time, efforts were made to establish radio contact. After checking all airfields and contact bases in the area, an aerial search was initiated at 1640 hours, and lasted until dark.

On January 8, SP4 Roger's body was found on the beach. The search shifted primarily into the coastline areas until about January 20, with no sightings of the aircraft or of CW2 Cramer.

Because it was determined that Rogers had drowned, it was assumed that the aircraft departed its destination (a fire base), and crashed into the South China Sea. CW2 Cramer was never found. He was listed Missing in Action.

Whether Cramer drowned as Rogers did on January 5, 1971, may never be learned. The U.S. Army, believing there was a chance he survived, did not declare him officially dead for over four years, and then only in general administrative "presumptive findings of death" which were sought for all missing personnel.

As the years pass, and more and more reports are received indicating that many Americans are still alive in Southeast Asia, one must wonder if CW2 Cramer is one of those said to be alive. If he is, what must he be thinking of us?

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